# Top Ten SF Must-Reads... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2001, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184 "2001-06-18T03:34:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marvel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marvel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvel)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/1 "2001-06-18T03:34:31Z")
…but not necessarily the BEST ten SF books. I’m a little into SF and my husband is WAY into the genre. I’d like to hear opinions as to what are the more influential/notorious/whatever books, or at least those most likely to come up when talking about SF literature. George has suggested some books to me,like Asimov’s “Foundation” series and I gather reading “Dune” and “The Lord of the Rings” would be good due to the popularity or anticipation of the movie versions. So what ten books would you most recommend I read so I can better hold my own in a SF conversation? Any help would be appreciated. Patty ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Crude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Crude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Crude)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/2 "2001-06-18T03:57:31Z")
Are we talking only SF as in Science Fiction? or do you mean SF in the broader (and rarely used) Speculative Fiction? Tolkien isn’t science fiction, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/3 "2001-06-18T03:59:13Z")
The Martian Chronicles The Incarnations of Immortality series The Blue Adept series Both of the above by Piers Anthony Eon by Greg Bear The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Most of the other books I remember enjoying reading are more fantasy than sci-fi. Like the very first Dragon Riders of Pern. My son is very much into the Mossflower series. He raves about it. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/4 "2001-06-18T04:13:22Z")
One of the most eye opening series I read was another Piers Anthony - Bio of a Space Tyrant I don’t want to give anything away but when I read that at 15, I was shocked and swept away. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/5 "2001-06-18T04:19:16Z")
The Rama series is also really impressive. That’s an Arthur C. Clarke series. And if you’re going to read Clarke you should read 2001. And on the lighter side Heinlin’s (damn I can’t spell that) Have Spacesuit Will Travel. ---
**Author:** ![nonation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8c91f0/32.png) [@nonation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonation)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/6 "2001-06-18T04:21:38Z")
Some of my favorites: Ringworld by Larry Niven (poses some good engineering questions) Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card The Mars series (Red, Blue, Green) by Kim Stanley Robinson (very thoughtful expose of Mars colonization) The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan (fun) Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/7 "2001-06-18T04:21:57Z")
Sticking to Science-Fiction… 1._I, Robot_ by Isaac Asimov. 2._Stranger in a Strange Land_ by Robert E. Heinlein. 3._Childhood’s End_ by Arthur C. Clarke. 4._Dune_ by Frank Herbert. 5._Lord of Light_ by Roger Zelazny 6._The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ by Douglas Adams. 7._Ender’s Game_ by Orson Scott Card. 8._Neuromancer_ by William Gibson. 9._The Book of the New Sun_ by Gene Wolfe. 10._Hyperion_ by Dan Simmons. As lists go, this one’s pretty cliched, but it covers most of the important stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/8 "2001-06-18T04:45:41Z")
I would definitely recommend \*Time Enough For Love,\*by Robert A. Heinlein. I read this at age 13, and it got me hooked on sci fi. (There’s a prequel to it–_Methusela’s Children_–but it’s not necessary to read it first.) ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/9 "2001-06-18T05:12:03Z")
As a 40+ year reader of SF who has attended a few conventions, met and talked with a few of the writers, I would have to say that \*\*Alessan \*\* has done an excellent job with the basics, though I would replace #10 with Spider and Jeanne Robinson’s \*Stardance \* and #9 with Theodore Sturgeon’s \*More Than Human \* but that’s my taste, yours may indeed vary. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/10 "2001-06-18T05:12:47Z")
**Search The Sky** by Pohl and Kornbluth **Macroscope** by Piers Anthony **Sundiver** by David Brin **The Moon is a Harsh Mistress** by Robert Heinlein **Neuromancer** by William Gibson **Ring World** by Larry Niven **The Time Machine** by H.G. Wells **Dune** by Frank Herbert **Farenheight 451** by Ray Bradbury **Foundation** by Issac Asimov \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/11 "2001-06-18T06:11:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alessan \* > \*\*Sticking to Science-Fiction… > > 1._I, Robot_ by Isaac Asimov. > 2._Stranger in a Strange Land_ by Robert E. Heinlein. > 3._Childhood’s End_ by Arthur C. Clarke. > 4._Dune_ by Frank Herbert. > 5._Lord of Light_ by Roger Zelazny > 6._The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ by Douglas Adams. > 7._Ender’s Game_ by Orson Scott Card. > 8._Neuromancer_ by William Gibson. > 9._The Book of the New Sun_ by Gene Wolfe. > 10._Hyperion_ by Dan Simmons. > > As lists go, this one’s pretty cliched, but it covers most of the important stuff. \*\* If you want to “hold your own at an SF convention,” then it’s hard to improve on Alessan’s excellent list. I would only suggest that you could read either the Foundation Trilogy or _I, Robot_; either _Stranger in a Strange Land_ or _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,_; either _Childhood’s End_ or _Rendezvous with Rama._ I haven’t read #9 or #10, and in their place I would have suggested: _Gateway_, Frederik Pohl _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ by Philip K. Dick _The Cyberiad,_ by Stanislaw Lem. Oh, and you absolutely must read _Ringworld._ It’s a classic example of “hard SF.” While we’re at it, there’s a series of anthologies called (IIRC) _The Science Fiction Hall of Fame._ A number of classic golden-age SF stories are collected into volumes 1 and 2 (the latter books tend to be more modern SF, which is less to my liking and less essential to the SF “core curriculum.”) If you read nothing else, reading the first two volumes will give you an excellent cross-section of classic SF. -Ben ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/12 "2001-06-18T06:43:11Z")
Ursula K. Leguin’s “The Left Hand of Darkness.” ---
**Author:** ![FEotU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@FEotU](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FEotU)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/13 "2001-06-18T07:23:00Z")
1. anything by James P. Hogan (especially “Inherit the Stars”) 2)“The Man Who Folded Himself” by David Gerrold 1. Dune (but not the numerous sequels) 2. “Stranger in a Strange Land” Heinlein 3. “Ringworld” by Niven (and all of his “known space” works 4. the “Colossus” trilogy by D.F. Jones 5. “The Gods Themselves” by Asimov 6. “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells (still the best story of alien invasion ever written) 7. “All My Sins Remembered” by Joe Haldeman 8. the “Riverworld” series by Phillip Jose Farmer ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/14 "2001-06-18T07:30:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FEotU \* > **10) the “Riverworld” series by Phillip Jose Farmer** Sometimes it just seemed like I was the only one who ever read those books. What a wierd, yet excellant and amazing concept. There have been a couple ‘guest’ writer novels where they speculate on others in that world, some good, some not. Definately a fun place to work out your writing ability if you enjoy writing. ---
**Author:** ![Lazarus7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/67e7ee/32.png) [@Lazarus7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazarus7)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/15 "2001-06-18T07:44:20Z")
Piers Anthony - Bio of a Space Tyrant Series Robert A. Heinlein - Time Enough for Love (start with Methusala’s Children if you have the time) Hitchhiker’s Guide (the whole meal deal) - Douglas Adams something by Philip K Dick (just to mess with your mind) Lady Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson … that should keep you busy for a while _smile_ ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/16 "2001-06-18T08:05:23Z")
Great suggestions. For really really modern good stuff, check out the works of Stephen Baxter. _Manifold Time_ is great. It deals with, among other things, how to deal with the ultimate heat death of the universe. For really really old, dated stuff, check out the Lensman series, by E.E. “Doc” Smith. It’s really very entertaining. Classic space opera at its best. And it’s still the only series I’ve ever read where the ship’s navigator whips out his slide rule to calculate the trajectory to the next galaxy. Oh, and as my own PSA, stay the HELL away from anything written by L. Ron Hubbard. His garbage is the literary equivalent of bowel surgery. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/17 "2001-06-18T13:40:11Z")
Add my votes for _Stranger in a Strange Land, The Left Hand of Darkness_ and something by Philip K. Dick. I can’t believe nobody has listed anything by Stanislaw Lem. Go with _Solaris_, which many consider his best SF. And as a good counterpoint to all this SF, see if you can find a copy of Lem’s essay “Science Fiction: A Hopeless Case—with Exceptions”, which may or may not have been responsible for him being thrown out of the Science Fiction Writers of America. Also, add Kurt Vonnegut’s _Cat’s Cradle_ to the list. ---
**Author:** ![Ziactrice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@Ziactrice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ziactrice)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/18 "2001-06-18T13:52:34Z")
The Honor Harrington series from David Weber The Vorkosigan series by Bujold When Androids Dream of Electric Sleep 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea The Time Machine The Ugly Little Boy, Isaac Asimov anything ever written by Eric Russell (the British one ;)), Ben Bova, Larry Niven, Robert Heinlein, or C.J. Cherryh (sp?) The Integral Trees younger readers: Have Spacesuit Will Travel the whole Tom Swift, Jr. series Perry Rhodan That’s all I can think of without seeing my bookshelf. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/19 "2001-06-18T14:05:08Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Ben \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Oh, and you absolutely must read _Ringworld._ It’s a classic example of “hard SF.” > -Ben \*\* Ben I agree with your revised list, but want to quibble on a very, VERY minor point: Niven ain’t “hard” SF. At most, he’s medium. (That doesn’t mean that he’s not great to read, _Protector_ is one of my favorite novels of all time, and his Known Space stories are always in my “reread” pile), but he makes too many biology errors and every now and then, (unlike “true” hard SF) Niven’s story gets in the way of his science lectures. For “real” hard SF, try Robert L. Forward( Dragon’s Egg is fantastic) or Stephen Baxter (who I don’t care for at all, but…) or James Hogan (before his brain melted and he became (really) a Velikofsky-oid) Fenris ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184/20 "2001-06-18T14:13:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Lem’s essay “Science Fiction: A Hopeless Case—with Exceptions”, which may or may not have been responsible for him being thrown out of the Science Fiction Writers of America. Lem was never actually thrown out of SFWA. He had inadvertanly been given a membership that he was not qualified for. He was and is welcome to join at any time. My list of essentials probably duplicates others, but they should be: Single novels: “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” – Robert A. Heinlein (his best is “Double Star,” but this is close) “Childhood’s End” – Arthur C. Clarke (not all that good, but essential reading) “The Stars My Destination” – Alfred Bester (one of the best of all time) “Davy” – Edgar Pangbourne (criminally underrated – a book years ahead of its time) “The Left Hand of Darkness” – Ursula K. LeGuin (a landmark in characterization) “The Martian Chronicles”-- Ray Bradbury “The Man Who Folded Himself” – David Gerrold (the ultimate time travel novel) “Dhalgren” or “The Einstein Intersection” – Samuel R. Delany (intellectually challenging, but well worth it) “Dune” by Frank Herbert (don’t bother with the sequels, though). “Mission of Gravity” by Hal Clement (the first true “hard SF” novel by the man who invented the genre) Series (note: SF series tend to deteriorate as the book count increases. These go the longest before you want to throw the damn thing across the room 🙂 ) “Foundation” by Isaac Asimov (absolutely essential, though it’s a bit dated now) “The Dragonriders of Pern” by Anne McCaffrey “‘Known Space’ series” by Larry Niven (“Ringworld,” “World of Ptavvs,” “Protector,” plus several short story collections.) “Corpus Dei” novels by James Morrow (“Only Begotten Daughter,” “Towing Jehovah,” “Blameless in Abbedon,” and “The Eternal Footman.”) “Book of the New Sun” by Gene Wolfe Short story collections should be: “Dangerous Visions” – Harlan Ellison, ed. “The Persistance of Vision” – John Varley “San Diego Lightfoot Sue” – Tom Reamy “The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories and Other Stories” – Gene Wolfe “The Hugo Winners” – Isaac Asmov, ed. (quite a few volumes) “Nebula Awards” – Various editors “Nightmares and Geezenstacks” – Fredric Brown [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-sf-must-reads/69184.md?page=2)